{"id":8740,"date":"2025-12-09T13:39:51","date_gmt":"2025-12-09T18:39:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/drinking-water\/?p=8740"},"modified":"2025-12-10T08:57:32","modified_gmt":"2025-12-10T13:57:32","slug":"winter-weather-preparedness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/drinking-water\/2025\/12\/09\/winter-weather-preparedness\/","title":{"rendered":"Winter Weather Preparedness"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/Winter_Weather___Watch_vs_Warning_FB_IG-e1765375012863.png\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Winter storms can bring a combination of freezing temperatures, snow, ice, and extended power outages that pose significant challenges to water systems. Even brief periods of extreme cold can impact treatment processes, freeze exposed equipment, limit staffing, and disrupt transportation and chemical deliveries. Preparing now helps ensure continued safe operation and reliable service throughout the winter season.<\/p>\n<p>Key preparedness reminders for waterworks:<\/p>\n<ul data-end=\"1349\" data-start=\"691\">\n<li><strong>Inspect and protect vulnerable equipment<\/strong>\u00a0such as exposed pipes, meters, chemical feed lines, and outdoor instrumentation.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Verify backup power systems<\/strong>\u00a0and ensure fuel, generators, and transfer switches are ready for potential outages.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Confirm employee call-down lists<\/strong>\u00a0and ensure staff understand inclement weather reporting procedures.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Review chemical inventory and resupply plans<\/strong>\u00a0in case road conditions delay deliveries.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Coordinate with local emergency management<\/strong>\u00a0and monitor updates from the National Weather Service.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Prepare for customer impacts<\/strong> such as frozen service lines and potential low-pressure events<\/p>\n<p>Being proactive with winter storm readiness supports operational resilience, protects infrastructure, and ensures the continued delivery of safe drinking water to Virginia communities. More information on winter weather and emergency preparedness can be found <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/drinking-water\/emergency-preparedness-and-security\/\">here<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Winter storms can bring a combination of freezing temperatures, snow, ice, and extended power outages that pose significant challenges to water systems. Even brief periods of extreme cold can impact treatment processes, freeze exposed equipment, limit staffing, and disrupt transportation and chemical deliveries. Preparing now helps ensure continued safe operation and reliable service throughout the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":646,"featured_media":8748,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"yes","footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8740","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-hot-topics"],"modified_by":"matthewframe","yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Winter Weather Preparedness - Drinking Water<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/drinking-water\/2025\/12\/09\/winter-weather-preparedness\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Winter Weather Preparedness - Drinking Water\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Winter storms can bring a combination of freezing temperatures, snow, ice, and extended power outages that pose significant challenges to water systems. 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